Fighting Holiday Roadway Danger

AMARILLO, TEXAS - Plans are already in the works to help make you safer over the next holiday. We're entering one of the deadliest times of the year for motorists, but there are several groups stepping up efforts to help keep you safe.

Transportation experts estimate there will be almost 40,000 traffic accidents in Texas in December alone. That's expected to injure 20,000 people and kill over 300.

First, drivers have to deal with bad weather icing over roads, but there's something else police say can sometimes be even more dangerous - drunk driving.

In fact estimates from the Texas government say drinking and driving will cause 85 fatal crashes in the state this holiday season. That's about three Texans dying everyday from now until Christmas.

To fight back Amarillo police are getting a $30,000 grant to pay overtime for extra officers on the streets this holiday. The city will match that with $10,000 dollars of their own.

And across state lines, New Mexico is announcing a major media campaign against drunk driving. Their ads will be similar to ones Texas ran last year. The Lone Star and Sooner states are expected to launch similar ads.

Amarillo police got a grant like this last year. That helped them arrest a total of 16 possible drunk drivers. But this year's grant is larger, so those arrests may go up.